Sponsored Research Ethics and Compliance
At the University of Southern California, ethical behavior is predicated on two main pillars: A commitment to discharging our obligations to others in a fair and honest manner, and a commitment to respecting the rights and dignity of all persons. Ethical responsibilities of members of the university community are detailed in the USC Code of Ethics.
Further information to assist researchers in addressing compliance issues can be obtained from the USC Office of Culture, Ethics and Compliance and its staffed telephone system, Compliance Hotline.
Mandatory Training for Funded Investigators
All investigators funded by an externally sponsored project must complete grants management training, as explained here.
All investigators funded by the Department of Health and Human Services must complete conflict of interest training.
Additional training may be required depending on the type of research being conducted. Please consult the training finder for more information.
Transferring Awards to or from USC
When a faculty member joins, or leaves, USC, the university may need to engage in a process by which a research award is transferred between institutions, following the stipulations of the research sponsor. Prior to extending an offer to a new investigator, the school should first assess the potential and challenges for transfer. After job acceptance, the school should then carefully execute a coordinated set of steps to execute any transfer. When an investigator leaves USC, these two steps are followed in reverse. Be sure to follow the guidelines below for any transfer, utilizing the spreadsheets to guide the process. Each spreadsheet has two tabs, representing step 1 and step 2 of the transfer process.
Outbound Process Steps
Outbound Award Transfer Worksheets
Inbound Process Steps
Inbound Award Transfer Worksheets
Research Ethics and Responsibility
Research ethics and responsibility are addressed through a number of compliance policies, including:
- Animal Resources and IACUC
- Attributing Contributions to Research Products and Creative Works
- Biorepositories Policy
- Conflict of Interest in Professional & Business Practices Policy
- Conflict of Interest in Research Policy
- Diclosure of Outside Interests (diSClose)
- Effort Reporting Procedures
- FAQ on Faculty Foreign Research Relationships
- Intellectual Property Policy
- International Research
- Laboratory, Radiation and Bio-safety
- Office for the Protection of Research Subjects
- Responsible Conduct of Research Training
- Rigor, Transparency, and Reproducibility
- Scientific Misconduct
- USC Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee (SCRO)